Scorer for auction-pinochle.



C. E. PINE.

SCORER FOR AUCTION PINOCHLE.

' APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, 19M- 1,145,21 1 Patented July 6, 1915.

6 d kw e b BID TOGO 0 0O 0 00 o o 9 o 0 l5 1 o 25. wk 80 0 so. 239*? 35 p!' 40 Q 40 45- A 019 9 K 50 0 1,9 1 55 o O 0 0 25 55 2% 0 M? 70 o o 2 75 803 O 85 Q5- Q4 d 95 E2 I SCRER 7 e'd/ 8 ZI6 6 i6 Z4 16- WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' CLARENCE E. PINE, or NEW aroma, N. Y.

scoREn I ran AUCTIQN-PINOGHLE.

To all wk om 'z'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. PINE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York county of Kings, and Stateof New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Scorers for Auction Pinochle, of

- which the following is 'a description.

This invention relates to game apparatus and, particularly, to scorers for auction pinochle.

Among the objects of my invention may i be noted the following: to provide a device which is simple, compact, inexpensive to produce and efi'ective'asla scorer for auction pinochle, as generally "playedjby three or four persons, and with a widow consisting of three cards, the dealer in the game when' played by four persons, taking no cards; to provide a scorer for auction pinochleby means of which the score of each hand ma be quickly and accurately computed and ocked, thus avoiding dispute; to provide a scorer for auction pinochle in 1 which two columns of like figures, in combination with a pair of shiftable blocks, provide the means by which the bid and the to be quickly noted; to provide a scorer for auction pinochle by means of which the successful bid may be recorded by the cooperation of acolumn of figures and a shiftable block having thereon a column of figures, and the amount necessary to go may also be recorded in like manner; to provide a scorer by which the score can be easily and accurately kept by one of the players or by an onlooker, and which avoids the necespencil and paper; and to procharacter indicated,

neat .in appearin bold and legivide a .device of the which is small, portable, ance, and has its numerals ble design, thus rendering iteifective for-the purposes stated.

With the aboveobj ectsin'view, and others which will be detailed duringg thle course of this description, my invention consists in the parts, features, elements a'ndc'OmbinatiOns,

thereof hereinafter described jand claim'ed. In order that my invention may be clearly Specification of Illetters Patent.

- understood, I have go of each hand of the game may provided drawings wherein:

Figure 1 1s a top-plan view of a structure showing an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, lllustrating a different position of certain parts; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a bottom-plan view of one of the sliding-blocks.

V eferring to the drawings, the numeral 1 lndicates the base of the scorer, which is provided longitudinally with two parallel, dove-tail grooves indicated, respectively, by 2 and 3, said grooves in the bottom thereof, near their left margin, being provided with itSBIlGS of spaced apertures-4 and 5, respectively.

scorer, between the grooves 2 and 3, is prp vided on its surface with a strip of material, ornamental or otherwise; but, in this instance, shown as a strip of white celluloid 7, the same being'secured upon the raised portlon 6, in any suitable manner, as by screws 8. A corresponding strip of material 9 is also applied to the raised portion 10 of the scorer, between the side of the latter and the groove 2, the same being secured in position by means The strips 7 and 9 have thereon the numerals and words indicia of the score, the strip 7 having, at one end thereof, the word Bid and the strip 9 having at the corresponding end, in a similar location, the words To go. Each of the strips is provided with corresponding numerals from 00 to 95, increasing at the rate sion. The numerals on thestrips and 9 are in alinement transversely with the apertures 4: and 5, the said apertures corresponding in number to the whole numerals indicated on the individual strips.

, At one end, preferably the end which would be nearer the score-keeper and which may be designatedthe bottom end of the device, may be provided, near its right margin, with being bored into the base 1, longitudinally thereof, to any required distance. These apertures are for safekeeping the pegs 13,

The ralsed portion 6 of the of screws 11, for example.

of five units in progresa pair of apertures 12, the same Patented July 6, 1915. Application filed April 24, 1914. Serial No. 834,066.

and are normally closed by a cover 14, pivotally secured at to the base, at a point between the two apertures and at a point below, thelongitudinal center of said cover, and substantially midway between 1ts ends. By thus ivoting the cover, 1t may be made to norma ly cover both apertures, as shown in Fig. 2; or, when it is desired to obtain the pegs from the apertures, by turnin said cover at a right-angle to its normal c osing position, as shown for example n Fig. 3, said cover will entirely uncover one aperture and close the other so as to prevent-the escape of surplus pins from the latter.

At the opposite ends of the baseand inthe middle of the grooves .2 and 3, respectively, are rigidly set pins 16', which may be removable, if desired. Cooperating with I the groove 2 is a sliding-block 17, a similar block 18 being arranged to cooperate with the groove 3. The two blocks are formed transversely correspondin 1y with the grooves 2 and 3, and each of saidblocks is formed V-shaped at its opposite ends, as

indicated at 19, thus permitting the blocks to slide freely within the grooves. Formed longitudinally in each block, in the bottom there- 'of, are alined 'grooves 20 and 21, each groove extending from a point near the middle of the. block to the vertex of the angle at the end thereof. These grooves, in the respecs tive blocks, are for the purpose of cooperating with the pins 16, at the opposite'ends of the respective grooves 2 and 3, thus limiting the movement of the blocks within the grooves of the base','and preventing them rom being accidentally shifted from the ooves- Each of the blocks is provided on its face, or upper surface, with a strip of material 22, similar to that of the strips 7 and 9, and each of the blocks, near its left margin, is

provided with a series of apertures 23, ex-

tending vertically entirely through the surface strip and the block. The pegs 13 ca operate with said apertures 23 in the blocks and the apertures 4 and 5, respectively, in the base, and, thereby, said blocks may be temporarily set in fixed position at any desired point in the grooves 2 and 3 of the As will be seen upon viewing Fig. 1,. the block 18 is slightly longer than the block 17, and has one more aperture 23 than the base.

the two blocks, in'computing the score, are,-

base, aready and efiicient means for computmgfthe points in the game of auction pinochle, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art and the game.

and clear, thus facilitating computation and enabling all players aroundthe table to, see

the score readily. The said numerals may plied, in some manner, parts, as shown.

The grooves in the base may be given a" As shown in the drawings, the numerals Y on the base andblocks should be large, bold' be formed in, or stamped upon, the surface of'the base and blocks, instead of being apg to the strips on said different form, the form shown being sugge'stive only and not definitive.

Whatever said form may be, it should be such as to H permit free sliding movement of the blocks and at the same time preventthem' from be ing lifted from the grooves.

, The pegs, while removable and permitting. v movement of the blocks, are temporary'locking devices for the blocks, and are-handles" by means of which the blocks may be quickly and'easily shifted on the base. "In one sense,

said pegs are a means for locking'the score so as to prevent the same from being accidentally changed while the play is on. 1

The scorer inthe game of auction pinochle is used as follows: The blocks 17 'and'18 may be manipulated along the gr0oves2- and 3,," y respectively, by using the pegs 13 as handles,

and the movement of the blocks is' limited in I opposite directions only by the pins 1606-1 operating with the grooves 20 and 21in the" respective blocks. Thus, the block 17 may be moved to the bottom of the scorer until the numeral 1 thereof is opposite thenumeral inthe to go column, while said block may be moved to the top, of the scorer" untilthe blank is opposite the two ciphers of] said column The slide 18 may be moved downwardly until the numeral 1 thereof .isji' opposite the numeral 95 inthe bid hop; "umn, and may be moved upwardly-untilthe H numeral'4 thereof is opposite the two ci- L In any intermediate position'the blocks may be locked in posir phers in .said column.

tion by pushing the through the blocks into the corresponding apertures 4 or 5;

and the position of the peg opposite the numerals on the blocks will indicate the total which is recorded on the scorer.

The blocks are used as follows in recording the bid and the to go of a. player;

and a players bid is from 150 at least to; about 400 at most. Assuming that the bidding ceasesat 320, the personpperating the numeral 3 of the block 18, and, using said scorer inserts the peg in the hole beside the peg as a handle, slides the block until the peg and numeral 3 register with the m lmeral 85 incoiiperation with the numerals on the Y 1 out there is, of course,

cording any number in the to go column.

20 in the bid column. The peg is then sponding aperture 5 in the groove 3 of the scorer and the bid for the play is'thus recorded. .If the successful bidder melds no necessity for re- On the other hand, if the'successful bidder is able to meld only 210, this amount is mentally subtracted from the bid of 320 and the person operating the scorer will insert another peg in the aperture beside the numerall on the block 17 and slide the said block in the groove 2 until said numeral lregister with the numeral 10 in the to go column of the scorer. -The peg drops, or is pressed, into the aperture 4 corresponding with the position ofthe block and the amount to go is thus recorded. The play of each hand continues in this manner until the same is won or lost, the scorer being referred to to show if the bidder has been successful. It will thus be seen that the four numbers on the block 18 may be caused to record every possible bid from 100 to 495, and only one bid is recorded for each hand played. It will-also be seen that'the two numbers and the-blank on the block 17 can bemade to record every amount .to be inade in playing, from 5 to 250,

, the latter being the total value or limit of the cards.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple and convenient scorer for the game of auction. pinochle, tute forthe pencil and paper method here'- tofore employed in keeping the score of the game; and it will also be seen that, by the use of niy scorer, the successful bid may V be quickly recorded by the combination of figures in the first column with the figures on the cooperating sliding block, While the can as readily be recorded by the combination of figures in the second column and the figures on the cooperating block. It will also be understood that it is possible to arrange a hand of cards tobid above 495; but, from wide experience in playing the game, I have found that the highest bid has never been above 400, If 500 Were bid however, which would be probably once in a thousand hands, the bid could be easily kept mentally, while the amount to go would be indicated in the second column of my scorer, as heretofore explained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. A scorer. having,

oted cover adapted to normally close all of .mg with said grooves,

peg and the which is valuable as a substiin its base, a plural ity of apertures, in combination with a pivwhen turned in another direction, adapted to open one of said apertures andtially close the other, and whenturned in a third position adapted to open the previously closed aperture and substantially close the other.

2. A scorer having a plurality of parallel grooves in its base, sliding blocks cooperatmeans for temporarlly fixing said blocks in said grooves at predetermined points, together with fixed numerals arranged in predetermined order alongside of each groove, the movable blocks being provided with numerals which have a definite decimal relation. to the fixed numerals of the corresponding grooves.

scorer provided with a fixed sequence of indicating numerals varying by a constant difference and a groove adjacent thereto, in combination with a sliding block adapted to move in said groove and having a sequence of numerals on its face in increasing order, and means for holding said .numerals in any desired order in relation plurality of grooves located parallel thereto, in combination with sliding blocks located in said grooves and provided with a plurality of unit numbers in sequence on their faces and adapted to be moved with relation to the first named numbers 1n any desired order. 5; A scorer having a base provided with a plurality of numbers which increase in definite relation and are displayed in sequence in a longitudinal row, together with a groove in said base parallel with said row of numbers, and a movable block located in said groove and having on its upper face a sequence of unit numbers designed to be combined with the first named numbers, together with means for holding said block in any desired positionwith relation to the first named numbers, at the ends of the groove ,for preventing it .from being lost or wholly displaced.

scorer embracing a base having two parallel grooves and of like numbers two parallel rows upon said base adjacent to the grooves, said numbers increasing by a definite amount throughout each. sequence,

and additional means columns of figures correspending in val e, in. combination with signed 'my name in thepresenoe of two subblocks adapteid fit lide 01$ igi'e relascribing witnesses. r tively to sa-i gures sai 00 s swing figures on the surface thereofadapted to 00- CLARENCE PINE 5 operate with the figures on the base and in- Witnesses: I

creasethe velue of the latter. ALFONsE F. SPIEGEL, In testimony whereof I have hereunto CHAs.-M. CHAPMAN. 

